L.A. Shock Rockers W.A.S.P. Made A Triumphant Return To The Chicagoland Area With A 40th Anniversary Spectacular Show

Dec 14, 2022 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By Christopher David

At long last, after literal years of speculation, scheduling issues, and a pandemic, L.A. shock rockers W.A.S.P. made a triumphant return to the Chicagoland area with a 40th anniversary show that reminded everyone in attendance exactly why Blackie Lawless remains a legend in the heavy metal scene.

Taking a stage that looked like a carnival freak tent complete with a giant clapper monkey, chains, and skulls aplenty, Lawless led the quartet through some of W.A.S.P.’s best known material, and while the setlist felt far too short given the band’s rich discography, leaving the Arcada disappointed would have been impossible. A three-song hammer of cuts from the band’s eponymous 1984 debut album led the charge, with special attention on 1992’s The Crimson Idol towards the middle of the set, the concept album that remains a fan favorite and also happens to be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Bassist Mike Duda, guitarist Doug Blair and drummer Aquiles Priester remain one of the band’s longest running and strongest lineups, and Blair’s excellent guitar work during “Chainsaw Charlie” offered a mesmerizing accompaniment to the Crimson Idol clips that played on the screen behind the band.

By the time the encores rolled around, the elephant in the room was the answer to the big question: will they Animal or won’t they Animal? Lawless’s misgivings with the lyrical content of the band’s most notorious cut has been widely documented, but in a fitting and triumphant turnabout, a video detailing the P.M.R.C.’s notorious campaign to censor heavy metal in the mid-80s made for a somehow sinister backdrop to a performance the savage “Fuck Like a Beast,” maybe the most notorious rock song of that decade for reasons that became clear to those who didn’t know or remember. The Satanic Panic was real, kids, and it cost people their livelihood. It might seem like a quaint thing in our current world, but in 1985, it was no joke, and the montage that played while Lawless sang the greatest anthem to filthy sex ever recorded reminded us all of just how insidious censorship can be—far worse, in the grand scheme of things, than song lyrics.

While many of the ‘80s metal band born from the Sunset Strip’s debauched heyday have already enjoyed a resurgence in touring over the last decade or so, prior to the 40th anniversary outing, W.A.S.P. had been curious absent, which Lawless addressed prior to the final song of the evening.

“I want to talk to you about this really unusual phenomenon,” Lawless said, perched on a platform at the front of the stage behind his motorcycle-modded mic stand. “Promoters in this country didn’t think we could sell tickets. All you guys got together online and started emailing these promoters—thousands of you that did this—and night after night, sold out. So to those promoters who didn’t believe in us anymore—suck on that one, baby!” And with that, the band launched into “I Wanna Be Somebody” as Lawless stalked the stage and rallied the crowd for the singalong choruses.

Armored Saint, led by powerhouse vocalist John Bush, opened the night with a solid ten-song set of tracks spanning their career, including new track “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” from 2020’s Punching the Sky. One of the most underrated bands of the early 80s power metal scene, Saint were the perfect opener, and more than deserving of their own headlining tour.

For more on WASP, click here

For photos from the show, click here

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W.A.S.P. – Arcada Theater, St. Charles, IL, 12/2/2022 (setlist)

On Your Knees

The Flame

The Torture Never Stops

Inside the Electric Circus

L.O.V.E. Machine

Wild Child

The Idol

The Great Misconceptions of Me